CABINET Meeting date: 27 November 2014 From: Corporate Director Environment and Community Services RESPONSE TO SOUTH LAKELAND DISTRICT COUNCILS COMMUNITY INFRASTRUCTURE LEVY REGULATION 16 CONSULTATION 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 The purpose of this report is to inform Cabinet Members of the consultation on the Draft Charging Schedule, the supporting Infrastructure Delivery Plan and the viability assessment for South Lakeland District Council s emerging Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL). It also seeks endorsement of the proposed Corporate County Council response to this consultation. 1.2 CIL is a per metre charge to be applied to development to fund infrastructure improvements. The development of a CIL by SLDC is to be welcomed because it represents an appropriate means to deliver necessary infrastructure requirements. It is also considered that the proposed CIL is consistent with important County Council priorities. 1.3 Notwithstanding this support, it is recommended that: Following its adoption, the infrastructure schemes to be funded by CIL be frequently updated to reflect latest evidence of infrastructure priorities; and The charging rates for development should be kept under regular review to ensure it is most appropriate. 1.4 This report and supporting appendix has been informed by the inputs of corporate colleagues and Local Members, the views of whom were sought at a workshop following the meeting of South Lakeland Local Committee on 30 September 2014.
2.0 STRATEGIC PLANNING AND EQUALITY IMPLICATIONS 2.1 The County Council s policy on spatial and planning matters is set out in the Cumbria County Council Planning Obligations Policy, the Cumbria Local Transport Plan, the Cumbria Economic Ambition, the Cumbria Minerals and Waste Local Plan, the Cumbria Strategic Partnership s Cumbria Sub Regional Spatial Strategy and the Cumbria County Council Area Plan for South Lakeland. It is important that district Development Plans link with these policies and strategies to ensure development is co-ordinated throughout Cumbria. 2.2 The development of Planning Policy has linkages with the priorities for the County Council as set out in the County Council s Plan (2014-2017). The Council Plan includes the priority of promoting sustainable economic growth and more specifically the engagement and collaboration with South Lakeland District Council to deliver a Community Infrastructure Levy. 2.3 In relation to equality, the preparation of the CIL must follow detailed procedures for public engagement that South Lakeland District Council will have to adhere to. Various media forms are used to advertise opportunities for consultation, and documents are available in various formats as there are a wide range of consultees involved, crossing all equality strands. It is also important to note that there could be differing views expressed at all levels of engagement throughout the consultation due to the potential impacts on individuals and groups. 3.0 RECOMMENDATION 3.1 Members agree the strategic response outlined in this Report and agree to submit this together the technical response contained in Appendix 1 and the Local Member comments in Appendix 2 to South Lakeland District Council to assist the further development of the Community Infrastructure Levy. 3.2 That Members agree to Cumbria County Council signing a joint statement of intent with South Lakeland District Council setting out how both Councils will continue to work together to identify, prioritise and fund the infrastructure necessary to support development proposed in the South Lakeland Local Plan.
ADVICE OF CORPORATE DIRECTOR - ENVIRONMENT AND COMMUNITY SERVICES 4.0 BACKGROUND 4.1 South Lakeland District Council commenced consultation on its draft CIL charging schedule on 18 September 2014. This report sets out; the context for SLDC s decision to pursue CIL; the main proposals within the proposed CIL; the County Council s previous engagement in the development of CIL; and the key elements of the proposed County Council s response contained in Appendix 1 to this report. 4.2 It should also be noted that to meet SLDC s statutory consultation requirements, a holding response has been submitted to SLDC. This will be substituted by the Cabinet agreed response. Context for CIL 4.3 The planning system in England is plan led, whereby it is a statutory duty for Local Planning Authorities to prepare a land-use Development Plan. The Development Plan or Local Plan should seek to guide both decision making in relation to planning applications and investment decisions for infrastructure provision. On 17 December 2013, SLDC adopted its Allocations of Land Development Plan Document (DPD); this is the element of their Local Plan responsible for allocating specific areas of land for development and follows the 2010 Core Strategy, responsible for establishing strategic policy. 4.4 In line with the Coalition Government s National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) March 2012, the development of this policy document required that there be an assessment of: what infrastructure is needed to support the sustainable development of the district; the cost of this infrastructure; and an understanding about how this may be delivered (and funded). 4.5 This assessment of capacity and need was undertaken through SLDC s Infrastructure Delivery Plan (IDP). This identifies the social and physical infrastructure required to deliver the growth ambitions of the Local Plan. The County Council contributed to the drafting of the IDP and this helped to ensure it acknowledged the need for developer contributions to fund the delivery of important strategic infrastructure; such as highways and transport improvements around Kendal, school places and adult social care across the district. 4.6 When considering how infrastructure may be delivered, it is the case that Section 106 Agreements (legal agreements to deliver planning obligations secured under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990) will
be effective for site specific mitigation. However, they are far less effective in cases where strategic infrastructure is required. This is because the requirements of Regulation 122 of the Community Infrastructure Levy Regulations 2010, limit the ability of Local Authorities to pool Section 106 Agreements to deliver a piece of strategic infrastructure. 4.7 In line with this consideration, and to ensure the deliverability of the infrastructure needed to support the Local Plan, SLDC is undertaking the development of a CIL. This operates as a square metre charge that would be applied to most developments based on the viability of development, and how much money is needed to deliver the infrastructure required to support the growth of an area. It would not apply to the parts of the SLDC administrative area that fall within national parks. Money raised by CIL would be kept in a single pot and spent on a range of specified infrastructure schemes. Parish and Town Councils would receive 15-25% of the CIL raised in their areas and up to 5% of the CIL raised can be used to fund its administration by SLDC. Infrastructure to be funded by CIL cannot be also funded by S106 or S278 agreements. 4.8 CIL will help deliver the infrastructure needed to support sustainable development and would be part of a toolkit of funding mechanisms such as; S106, S278 and Local Growth Fund amongst others. On this basis, the decision to prepare CIL in South Lakeland is welcomed. 4.9 Moreover the Cumbria County Council Plan (2014-2017) Delivery Plan promotes the need for engagement and collaboration with South Lakeland District Council to deliver a Community Infrastructure Levy. A key identified target in achieving this is continued participation in consultation exercises relating to its ongoing development. Consultation 4.10 The current consultation relates to the Draft Charging Schedule for CIL, the updated Infrastructure Delivery Plan and Viability Assessment. Following this stage of consultation, these documents will be subject to further amendments before submission to the Secretary of State whose Inspector will examine their appropriateness. This Examination will give particular attention to whether there is a need for CIL to fund infrastructure, and if the rate of CIL to be charged will prejudice the viability of development. 4.11 In May 2014, the County Council responded to an earlier consultation on the Preliminary Draft Charging Schedule for CIL. Within the response to this consultation, the County Council advised how the development of a CIL would represent an appropriate means to deliver infrastructure needed to support the sustainable development of South Lakeland District. Moreover, it was considered that the proposed CIL correctly acknowledged important County Council priorities. 4.12 Notwithstanding this support, the County Council recommended: a) The IDP and CIL itself should be frequently updated so that there are live workable documents that could align with the County Council s
priorities, Area Plan and deliver the infrastructure needed to implement the aspirations of the Local Plan. b) There should be fuller recognition of the potential for other funding streams such as Local Growth Funding secured by the LEP through a Growth Deal for Cumbria. c) The 150 Levy rate proposed for sheltered / extra care housing schemes should be reviewed, given their importance in meeting the housing needs of an ageing population in South Lakeland District. Current Proposals Charging Rates 4.13 Since the March 2014 consultation; SLDC has revised the proposed charging rates for development. Most significant among these changes are: the proposal to not charge extra care housing CIL; the significantly reduced charge proposed for sheltered housing; and the 10 reduction in the charge to residential development. The cautious approach is to ensure the viability of development is not prejudiced (figure 1); this is a key consideration when the Government Inspector considers the appropriateness of the CIL. 4.14 In addition to these reduced rates, viability evidence indicates that some forms of development, most noticeably, employment land cannot be viably charged CIL. Figure 1 - Proposed CIL Charging Rates Development Type Proposed Kendal and Ulverston Canal Head regeneration areas Residential Croftland Strategic Housing Site Agricultural Workers Dwellings Supermarkets and Retail Warehouses Hotels Sheltered/Retirement Housing Extra Care Housing All other uses Levy Rate / m2 0/m2 50/m2 20/m2 0/m2 150/m2 0/m2 50/m2 0/m2 0/m2 4.15 It is estimated that by 2025, CIL may viably generate circa 17,750,000 from development. It must be recognised that money raised by CIL alone will not be able to fund the entire range of infrastructure needed to deliver sustainable development in South Lakeland. The cumulative cost of this infrastructure is estimated to be circa 47 million. Despite this apparent funding gap, CIL has an important role in delivering strategic infrastructure alongside established means such as S106 and S278 to deal with site specific matters. 4.16 There may also be opportunities to combine CIL with other funding streams such as the Local Growth Fund, Cumbria Infrastructure Fund and/or European funding. In this context, the emerging CIL and adopted Local Plan have assisted the Cumbria LEP in being awarded 8.7m of funding within South Lakeland District for the years 15/16 and 16/17.
4.17 While the proposed CIL rates are currently considered appropriate, it remains the case that the level of CIL to be charged to development is kept under review in light of changing economic circumstances. Therefore, if the viability of development improves, higher rates of CIL should be levied. Current Proposals Infrastructure to be funded through CIL 4.18 The South Lakeland IDP has a key role in establishing what infrastructure is needed to support the implementation of the Local Plan and it is this that enabled identification of the infrastructure schemes that should be wholly or part-funded by CIL, these are identified in Figure 2. Where infrastructure is not listed, it will still be possible to secure a contribution through Section 106 or Section 278 Agreements. For example, the provision of primary school places outside of Kendal and Ulverston would continue to be secured through the use of Section 106 Agreements in line with the County Council s Planning Obligations Policy. Figure 2 - Infrastructure projects proposed to be wholly or part-funded by CIL A package of junction and sustainable transport improvements in Kendal as identified in the Kendal Highways Improvements Study, September 2012. Primary School Places in Kendal and Ulverston, and Secondary School Places in Kendal, Ulverston and Cartmel (presently excluding the specific requirements of the Kendal Broad Locations and Kendal Canal Head sites) Highways infrastructure (provision of necessary access arrangements) to support delivery of significant employment allocations at the following sites: Highway access from the A6 to land at Scroggs Wood Milnthorpe Road, Kendal Highway access from the A65 to Land East of Burton Road, Kendal Highway access from the A590 to land at Lightburn Road, Ulverston Highway access improvements from the strategic road network to land adjacent to Mainline Business Park, Milnthorpe Highway access from Gatebeck Lane to Land North of Gatebeck Lane, Endmoor Highway access improvements from A590 to land at Ulverston Canal Head Ulverston and Ulverston Canal Head Business Park employment area. Health Centre in Kendal (medical and dental) Regeneration including Public Realm/Environmental/Historic Environment Projects
Open Space Improvements to strategic publicly accessible areas at following locations: Lightburn Park Ulverston, Abbott Hall Park, Castle Hill, Bowling Fell and Nobles Rest, Kendal 3 P s in Grange Over Sands Promenade, Park Road Gardens and Ornamental Gardens Strategic Green Infrastructure e.g. green corridor improvements for example Lancaster Canal Multi-functional trail Community, cultural and leisure facilities The following highway and transport infrastructure schemes with strategic benefits Arnside Viaduct Cycle / Pedestrian Link Grange to Lindale footway link Car sharing lay-bys at various locations including the A6 and A65 4.19 The list of infrastructure to be funded by CIL is considered to be consistent with many County Council priorities, and at this stage changes are not considered imperative. Nevertheless, the infrastructure evidence contained within the IDP will need to be kept under review, and through this process additional CIL schemes may be identified (e.g. new flooding or transport measures). Governance of CIL and Next Steps 4.20 The creation of effective arrangements, through which the spending of CIL money is managed, will be important. To date, County Council officers have developed a constructive yet informal working relationship with SLDC. We are now seeking to agree a statement of intent between the authorities and it is anticipated that a protocol on the operation of CIL and the continuing development of the IDP will be presented for endorsement at a future Cabinet meeting. 4.21 It is intended that these arrangements will help to ensure the County, District and Parish and Town Councils will have a framework for future working together to deliver important local and strategic infrastructure. Local Member Engagement 4.22 Appendix 2 contains the notes from a workshop held with Local Members on 30 September 2014. 4.23 Feedback from Members included: Concerns about the how the Governance arrangements for CIL would operate; The need for specific schemes to be funded by CIL should be subject to ongoing review;
There was some concern about the principle of CIL being utilised to deliver access to specific employment sites; and Concerns that in some parts of the District, the rates of CIL to be charged to development needs to be subject to ongoing upward review. 5.0 OPTIONS There are three options: 5.1 Option 1: That Members endorse the response outlined in this Report and agree that the technical response contained in Appendix 1 is forwarded to South Lakeland District Council to assist the ongoing development of their CIL. 5.2 Option 2: to review the response, and add further comments. 5.3 Option 3: not to respond. However, this would undermine any opportunities to influence the CIL s development and protect the County Council s interests and responsibilities. 6.0 RESOURCE AND VALUE FOR MONEY IMPLICATIONS 6.1 South Lakeland District Council is consulting on a Community Infrastructure Levy policy which will facilitate infrastructure development in South Lakeland. 6.2 The use of CIL to facilitate such development would impact on County Council services such as Education, Highways and Adult Social care although the level of impact will only crystallise as the planning and development process continues. 6.3 CIL will be paid to SLDC but infrastructure projects may be joint funded through CIL as well as through Local Growth Fund, Cumbria Infrastructure Fund, and European funding, which the County Council may already act as lead authority or accountable body for. A robust governance framework will be needed to ensure that development of infrastructure projects which will impact on the County Council meet the strategic aims of the Council; to ensure that where there is a mix of funding streams the spending and delivery criteria of each stream are met; and to ensure that the monitoring and delivery of schemes is undertaken across the relevant authorities in a way which minimises any administrative burden. 6.4 The development of an effective governance framework will have resource implications for the County Council in respect of staff time to work with officers from SLDC. 7.0 LEGAL IMPLICATIONS 7.1 The Community Infrastructure Levy Regulations 2010 provides for charging authorities to set out a list of those projects or types of infrastructure that it intends to fund through a Community Infrastructure Levy (Regulation 123). When a charging authority introduces the Community Infrastructure Levy,
section 106 requirements should be scaled back to those matters which are directly related to a specific site and not set out in a Regulation 123 list. 7.2 Section 106 Agreements made under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 will be continued to be used to mitigate the site specific impacts of the development which are not covered in the Regulation 123 charging schedule list. 7.3 To ensure that the County Council s need for infrastructure provision is included in the charging schedule, the County Council should be fully engaged with SLDC. 7.4 Part 3 of the Constitution provides that one of Cabinet s main responsibilities is to agree responses to consultation papers where appropriate. 8.0 CONCLUSION 8.1 The preparation of a CIL and the IDP in South Lakeland is welcomed as it represents an important and appropriate means to deliver the necessary infrastructure requirements needed to support the sustainable development of land (outside of the national parks) in South Lakeland District. 8.2 The County Council is not raising any significant issues with the proposed CIL Charging schedule; however this does not remove the need for CIL to be kept under continual review. 8.3 It is imperative that a protocol establishing the operation of CIL in South Lakeland is put in place. Dialogue about this important issue is ongoing and there is confidence that appropriate arrangements can be arrived at. Jim Savege Corporate Director Environment and Community Services 27 November 2014 APPENDICES Appendix 1 County Council Response to Regulation 16 Consultation on SLDC CIL Appendix 2 Local Member comments from workshop on 30 October 2014 Electoral Division(s): Excluding the National Parks, all in South Lakeland * Please remove whichever option is not applicable Executive Decision Yes* Key Decision No*
If a Key Decision, is the proposal published in the current Forward Plan? N/A* Is the decision exempt from call-in on grounds of urgency? No* If exempt from call-in, has the agreement of the Chair of the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Committee been sought or obtained? N/A* Has this matter been considered by Overview and Scrutiny? If so, give details below. Has an environmental or sustainability impact assessment been undertaken? Has an equality impact assessment been undertaken? No* No No PREVIOUS RELEVANT COUNCIL OR EXECUTIVE DECISIONS Cabinet response on Regulation 15 Consultation on SLDC CIL s Preliminary Draft Charging Schedule May 2014 CONSIDERATION BY OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY Not considered by Overview and Scrutiny BACKGROUND PAPERS No background papers RESPONSIBLE CABINET MEMBER Cllr John McCreesh - Cabinet Member for Environment REPORT AUTHOR Contact: Michael Barry, Senior Planning Officer, 07733302913